Methods of providing solder structures for out plane connections

ABSTRACT

Methods of forming a solder structure may include providing a wafer including a plurality of die therein, and a solder wettable pad may be formed on one of the die adjacent an edge of the die. The solder wettable pad may have a length parallel to the edge of the die and a width perpendicular to the edge of the die wherein the length parallel to the edge of the die is greater than the width perpendicular to the edge of the die. A solder bump may be plated on the solder wettable pad, and the die may be separated from the wafer along the edge of the die after plating the solder bump on the solder wettable pad. Moreover, the solder bump may be reflowed on the solder wettable pad so that the solder structure extends laterally from the solder wettable pad beyond the edge of the die after separating the die from the wafer. Related structures are also discussed.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/510,819 filed Oct. 14, 2003, the disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of electronics, and moreparticularly, to structures for bonding electronic substrates andrelated methods.

BACKGROUND

In packaging microelectronic devices, such as packaging integratedcircuit chips on printed circuit boards, the integrated circuit chipsare generally mounted parallel to and facing the printed circuit boardsuch that faces of the integrated circuit chips are adjacent a face ofthe circuit board. This packaging technology allows a large number ofinput/output connections between the integrated circuit chips and theprinted circuit board, especially when solder bump technology is usedover the entire face of the integrated circuit chips. However, thistechnology may limit a packaging density, because the large faces of theintegrated circuit chips are mounted adjacent the face of the printedcircuit board.

To increase the packaging density of chips on a printed circuit board,three-dimensional packaging has been proposed, wherein the chips aremounted orthogonal to the circuit board so that edges of the chips areadjacent the face of the circuit board. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No.5,347,428 to Carson et al. entitled “Module Comprising IC Memory StackDedicated to and Structurally Combined With an IC Microprocessor Chip”and U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,729 to Carson et al. entitled “Electronic ModuleComprising a Stack of IC Chips Each Interacting With an IC Chip Securedto the Stack”, both of which are assigned to Irvine Sensors Corporation.In these patents, solder bumps are used to connect the edges, ratherthan the faces of integrated circuit chips to a substrate.Unfortunately, an edge-to-face connection may be difficult and costly toproduce.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,314 to Wheeler et al. entitled “High Speed, HighDensity Chip Mounting” describes another three-dimensional packagingtechnique. The '314 patent describes a plurality of integrated circuitchips whose active faces are perpendicular to a chip carrier. Solderbumps are used to connect pads on the chips to pads on the substrate.

An issue in using solder bump technology to interconnect athree-dimensional package is how to get the solder bump to bridge fromone substrate to another. In particular, it may be difficult to formsolder which extends beyond the edge of a chip because a chip sawing ordicing operation may remove solder which extends beyond the chip edge.Moreover, during solder reflow, the solder may take the shape of ahemisphere or partial hemisphere on a contact pad. Thus, it may bedifficult to cause the solder on one contact pad to extend onto anothercontact pad, in a three-dimensional package. Even if solder is placed ona pair of adjacent contact pads in a three-dimensional package, it maybe difficult to cause the reflowed solder to join up, rather thanforming individual solder bumps.

Solder interconnections are also discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,793,116;6,418,033; and 6,392,163. Each of these patents are assigned to theassignee of the present invention, and the disclosures of each of thesepatents are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

SUMMARY

According to embodiments of the present invention, a solder structuremay include a substrate and a solder wettable pad on the substrateadjacent an edge of the substrate. The solder wettable pad may have alength parallel to the edge of the substrate and a width perpendicularto the edge of the substrate wherein the length parallel to the edge ofthe substrate is greater than the width perpendicular to the edge of thesubstrate. In addition, a solder bump on the solder wettable pad mayextend laterally from the solder wettable pad at least to within about10 microns of the edge of the substrate. According to some embodiments,the solder bump may extend laterally from the solder wettable pad toand/or beyond the edge of the substrate.

According to additional embodiments of the present invention, a methodof forming a solder structure may include providing a wafer including aplurality of die therein, and forming a solder wettable pad on one ofthe die adjacent an edge of the die. The solder wettable pad may have alength parallel to the edge of the die and a width perpendicular to theedge of the die wherein the length parallel to the edge of the die isgreater than the width perpendicular to the edge of the die. A solderbump may be formed on the solder wettable pad, and the die may beseparated from the wafer along the edge of the die after plating thesolder bump on the solder wettable pad. After separating the die fromthe wafer, the solder bump on the solder wettable pad may be reflowed sothat the solder structure extends laterally from the solder wettable padtoward the edge of the die. According to some embodiments, the solderbump may extend laterally to and/or beyond the edge of the die.

According to still additional embodiments of the present invention, amethod of forming a solder structure may include providing a waferincluding a plurality of die therein, and forming a solder wettable padon one of the die adjacent an edge of the die. A solder bump may beformed on the solder wettable pad such that the solder bump ismaintained within the edge of the die, and the die may be separated fromthe wafer along the edge of the die after forming the solder bump on thesolder wettable pad. After separating the die from the wafer, the solderbump on the solder wettable pad may be subjected to reflow so that thesolder bump extends laterally from the solder wettable pad to at leastwithin about 10 microns of the edge of the die. According to someembodiments, the solder bump may extend to and/or beyond the edge of thedie.

According to yet additional embodiments of the present invention, amethod of forming a solder structure may include forming a solderwettable pad on a substrate adjacent an edge of the substrate. Thesolder wettable pad may have a length parallel to the edge of thesubstrate and a width perpendicular to the edge of the substrate whereinthe length parallel to the edge of the substrate is greater than thewidth perpendicular to the edge of the substrate. In addition, a solderbump may be formed on the solder wettable pad wherein the solder bumpextends laterally from the solder wettable pad to at least within about10 microns of the edge of the substrate. According to some embodiments,the solder bump may extend to and/or beyond the edge of the substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating surface curvature at a point on anair-liquid interface according to embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A–I are cross-sectional and corresponding top views of bumpstructures according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 3–9, 11, and 12 are views of solder structures according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating internal pressure of a solder structureas a function of length of principal radii according to embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 13A–C are plan views illustrating steps of forming solderstructures according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated forclarity. It will also be understood that when an element such as alayer, region or substrate is referred to as being on another element,it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may alsobe present. In contrast, if an element such as a layer, region orsubstrate is referred to as being directly on another element, then noother intervening elements are present. As used herein, the term and/orincludes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items.

Furthermore, relative terms, such as beneath, upper, and/or lower may beused herein to describe one element's relationship to another element asillustrated in the figures. It will be understood that relative termsare intended to encompass different orientations of the device inaddition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if thedevice in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as belowother elements would then be oriented above the other elements. Theexemplary term below, can therefore, encompasses both an orientation ofabove and below.

It will be understood that although the terms first and second are usedherein to describe various regions, layers and/or sections, theseregions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms.These terms are only used to distinguish one region, layer or sectionfrom another region, layer or section. Thus, a first region, layer orsection discussed below could be termed a second region, layer orsection, and similarly, a second region, layer or section could betermed a first region, layer or section without departing from theteachings of the present invention. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a, an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

According to embodiments of the present invention, reservoir and padgeometries may provide bump overhang and increase a range ofapplications, and in particular applications with relatively fine pitch.In the analysis of Laplace-Young, at any point P on a surface S, thecurvature of S at P can be represented by two orthogonal arcs orprincipal radii R1 and R2, as shown in FIG. 1.

If S represents an air-liquid interface, then the pressure differenceacross the surface is:

$\begin{matrix}{{\Delta\; P} = {{\gamma\left( {\frac{1}{R_{1}} + \frac{1}{R_{2}}} \right)}.}} & \lbrack 1\rbrack\end{matrix}$For a spherical liquid body, this reduces to:

$\begin{matrix}{{{\Delta\; P} = \frac{2\gamma}{R}},} & \lbrack 2\rbrack\end{matrix}$where γ is the surface tension difference across the interface. Thispressure may also represent a potential energy of the surface. Sincenatural forces may tend to reduce energy, the liquid surface may tend toincrease R1 and R2.

According to embodiments of the present invention, solder bumps may beplaced (such as by plating) adjacent the edge of a die or substrate in awafer, and the wafer including the die or substrate may be diced orsawed to singulate the die or substrate. More particularly, a die mayinclude a plurality of integrated circuits (such as transistors,resistors, capacitors, diodes, inductors, etc.) therein and a wafer mayinclude a plurality of such die. The solder bumps on the die can then bemelted (after singulating the die) to form solder bump structuresextending beyond the edge of the die or substrate, and to cause thesolder bump structures to touch and wet to pads on a mating substrateoriented at an angle to the edge of the die or substrate. The matingsubstrate, for example, may be another integrated circuit device and/ora printed circuit board.

In addition, an overhang of solder may be increased to accommodateuncertainty in the width of a dicing kerf after dicing. Moreover, pitchor center-to-center spacing of these solder bumps on a die may bereduced to increase the number of interconnections along the edge of thedie or substrate. A formation of extraneous solder structures due toinherent instabilities and/or perturbations of the manufacturingprocesses may also be reduced.

Structures according to embodiments of the present invention arediscussed below with respect to FIGS. 2A–I. In each of FIGS. 2A–I, thereare provided corresponding cross-sectional and top views of solder bumpstructures according to embodiments of the present invention.

A super-hemispheric bump geometry is shown in FIG. 2A. The bump 21circumference (outer circle) is concentric with the bump pad 23 (innercircle). A relatively large volume of solder may be required for thisapproach. The solder bump 21 may be formed using a sequence includingsolder plating through a mask, followed by dicing, followed by solderreflow. Because the solder reflow follows dicing, interference of theplated solder deposit with the dicing blade can be reduced, yet thesolder may overhang the edge of the die (separated by dicing) afterreflow. To deposit enough solder to create the super-hemisphere, theplating template photoresist and the plated solder deposit may need tobe very thick. The thick photoresist and plating may result insignificant cost, throughput, yield, and pitch constraints. Asuper-hemispheric bump is illustrated in FIG. 3. In alternatives, thesolder bump 21 may be formed, for example, using evaporation, jetting,and/or paste.

According to embodiments of the present invention illustrated in FIGS.2A and 3, a plurality of solder bumps 21 may be plated on respectivebump pads 23 along an edge of an integrated circuit die before dicingthe die from a wafer including a plurality of die. The originally platedsolder may be substantially cylindrical (before reflow) so that theplated solder does not extend significantly beyond the respective bumppad 23 before reflow. Accordingly, the die can be singulated beforereflow without significantly interfering with the plated solder bump.After dicing, the solder bump 21 can be subjected to reflow so that thereflowed solder bump 21 extends beyond the bump pad 23 by an overhangdistance D. By providing that the overhang distance D is greater than adistance between the edge of bump pad 23 after reflow, the bump maycontact a pad on another substrate at the edge of the die having thesolder bump 23 thereon.

In FIG. 2B, the solder bump 31 is directionally offset from the pad 33to increase the overhang D. This offset may be possible if the soldercan wet the side of the pad, which means the pad must have significantthickness and must be selectively wettable on one side. Selectivewetting may be possible through selective oxidation or coating, theselective removal of oxide on the wetted side, or directional resistremoval. However, the thickness of the solder deposit may be substantialand the cost may be high, while the control of directional wetting maybe challenging.

In FIG. 2C, a reservoir of solder is provided in the form of a narrowelongated region 41 connected to the bump pad 43. Differential pressurein the molten solder 45 may cause the solder in the reservoir to flow tothe bump pad during reflow. A thickness requirement for the platedsolder may thus be reduced, and/or an overhang distance D may beincreased. Accordingly, cost may be reduced, and throughput may beincreased. Solder reservoirs are discussed in greater detail in U.S.Pat. No. 6,388,203, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

FIG. 2D is a more realistic representation of the structure of FIG. 2C.Here the tendency of liquid solder to reduce surface energy byincreasing the radii of curvature may result in a pronounced meniscus 51(neck) at the transition from the reservoir 53 to the bump pad 55 (seeFIG. 6). This may have two effects. First, a relatively large volume ofsolder may be trapped in the meniscus 51. Second, a radius of curvatureof the bump 57 may increase along the diameter aligned to the point ofconnection between reservoir and pad. The first effect may negate someof the advantage of the reservoir and the second may reduce the overhangby increasing the effective diameter of the wetted pad. FIG. 4 shows aplan view of plated solder on a circular bump pad and on a rectangularreservoir prior to reflow. FIGS. 5 and 6 show respective top and planviews of the solder of FIG. 4 after being subjected to reflow. Thestructures of FIGS. 5 and 6 correspond to those of FIG. 2D.

In FIG. 2E, attempts to increase the overhang D of solder bump 61 frompad 65 by simply increasing the volume may net little gain because themeniscus 63 on reservoir 67 may grow larger and the effective wetteddiameter may increase. As shown in FIG. 7, increasing a solder volumemay increase the size of meniscus 63 so that the overhand D does notincrease significantly.

A size of the meniscus 71 (neck) can be reduced by changing the pressuredifferential, by either increasing the diameter of pad 73 or reducingthe width of reservoir 75, as shown in FIG. 2F. Increasing the diameterof pad 73 may affect the pitch and the volume of solder needed toachieve a given overhang D of solder bump 77. Decreasing the width ofreservoir 75 may decrease the volume of the reservoir. Both effects maybe counter to the goal.

Increasing the pad diameter to reduce internal pressure and reducing paddiameter to increase overhang can be decoupled, as seen in theLaplace-Young equation. Recognition that the two principal radii aredifferent allows the oval design of FIG. 2G. The radius of pad 81parallel to the edge of the die can be relatively large so the internalpressure is lower and the meniscus 87 (neck) is smaller. The radius ofpad 81 perpendicular to the die edge can be relatively narrow toincrease the solder bump 85 overhang. Stated in other words, the pad 81may have a length L parallel to the die edge that is greater than awidth W perpendicular to the die edge. A geometry that exhibitsdifferent principal radii is the truncated circle or ‘D’ shaped padshown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

Further improvement can be seen in FIG. 2H where the point of connectionbetween the reservoirs 91 and the pad 93 has been moved to the sides ofthe pad 93. Two reservoirs 91 may be used to retain symmetry. In thiscase, the reservoirs 91 may not significantly increase thediameter/width W of pad 93 (perpendicular to the die edge) so theoverhang of solder bump 95 can be improved.

Since the liquid will not form a sharp angle, squaring the corners ofpad 101 along the die edge as shown in FIG. 21, may pull the solder 103toward the pad edge, thus improving overhang D further. Reservoirs 105may be provided at ends of the pad 101.

These designs may work because the internal pressure may be dominated bythe smaller of the two principal radii. FIG. 10 shows the internalpressure as the two radii are varied. It can be seen that the pressuremay be substantially independent of the larger radii, if the radii aresubstantially different.

Guidelines for solder wettable pads, solder wettable reservoirs, andsolder bumps according to some embodiments of the present invention areprovided below.

-   -   1.) Reservoir design        -   a. Relatively sharp interior angles may be provided.            -   i. Relatively high surface tension liquids such as                molten solder constrained to a two dimensional surface                may tend to form a meniscus (a bridge or short cut) at                an interior angle. Any chamfer of the corner may                exacerbate the problem and may lead to extraneous bump                formation.        -   b. Wide bights may be provided.            -   i. A tendency to bridge across a bight (U-shaped                section) of a reservoir path may depend on a width of                the bight and a length of the meniscus. If the menisci                of the two corners overlap there may be a possibility                that they will merge and form a metastable bridge over                the bight. Bights with openings wider than 2.5 times the                radius of curvature may thus be provided.        -   c. Narrow tributary mouths may be provided.            -   i. Mouths of tributaries (where branches meet the main                reservoir) may create localized regions of low pressure                because both principal radii may be relatively large.                The intersection may be kept narrow enough that the low                pressure does not create a large upwelling that can                become super-hemispheric resulting in a runaway                situation. Both the tributary and the main reservoir may                thus be narrowed by at least 20% at the mouth of                tributaries.        -   d. Spacing may heed a flow progression.            -   i. As a reservoir soldershed drains, distant ends may                drain first. Solder may build up at mouths of                tributaries, creating temporary mounds of molten solder                that may be relatively large. Since the wetting angles                are relatively large, the drained ends may not merge                with the mounds because the ends may have a relatively                low profile.            -   ii. Therefore, spacing between ends of a reservoir and                other portions of the reservoir can be at reduced and/or                minimum dimensions. Reservoir channels may require                additional spacing to allow for the increase in width                during flow. Tributary mouths may require further                spacing to allow for the temporary expansion during                reflow.        -   e. Sluices may be flared.            -   i. A timing of flow progression can be adjusted by                introducing restrictions in a flow path. A flared                narrowing in the reservoir may create a sluice that can                slow a rate of fluid flow. A build-up of liquid at                bends, tributary mouths, and other locations may thus be                reduced and/or prevented.    -   2.) Pad Design        -   a. Reservoir to pad edge angle may be acute to reduce any            meniscus.        -   b. Narrow dimension may be greater than the widest reservoir            narrow dimension            -   i. More particularly, a narrow pad dimension may be >10%                larger than a widest reservoir narrow dimension.

FIG. 11 illustrates representative structures according to embodimentsof the present invention. Here, a structure 55 μm (micron) wide, 225 μm(micron) long, and 20 μm (micron) thick may result in an overhang of 21μm (micron). In FIG. 11, a solder bump 1101 on a first substrate 1103(such as an integrated circuit die) may overhang an edge of thesubstrate 1103 for bonding with a pad of a second substrate 1107 (suchas a printed circuit board, another integrated circuit die, etc.).Reservoirs 1109 a–b may be coupled with opposite ends of the solder bump1101, and the reservoirs may have one or more bends therein to reduce anamount of substrate space consumed. Moreover, one or both of thereservoirs may include a plurality of branches. For example, thereservoir 1109 a may include branches 1109 a′ and 1109 a″, and thereservoir 1109 b may included branches 1109 b′ and 1109 b″. In addition,one or more reservoirs and/or branches may include a flared sluice.

More particularly, solder may be plated to a uniform thickness in thereservoir and bump regions so that the plated solder in the bump regiondoes not interfere when dicing the substrate from a wafer including thesubstrate. Once the substrate has been diced, the plated solder can beheated above its melting temperature so that solder flows from thereservoirs and branches thereof (1109 a, 1109 a′, 1109 a″, 1109 b, 1109b′, and 1109 b″) to the bump 1101. Accordingly, the solder bump 1101 canexpand laterally beyond the edge of the substrate 1103 for bonding withsubstrate 1107.

Structures according to additional embodiments of the invention areshown in FIG. 12. In FIG. 12, a solder bump 1201 on a first substrate1203 may overhang an edge of the substrate 1203 (such as an integratedcircuit die) for bonding with a pad 1205 of a second substrate 1207(such as a printed circuit board, another integrated circuit die, etc.).Reservoirs 1209 a–b may be coupled with opposite ends of the solder bump1201, and the reservoirs may have one or more bends therein to reduce anamount of substrate space consumed. Moreover, one or both of thereservoirs may include a plurality of branches. For example, thereservoir 1209 b may include branches 1209 b′ and 1209 b″. In addition,one or more reservoirs and/or branches may include a flared sluice.

More particularly, solder may be plated to a uniform thickness in thereservoir and bump regions so that the plated solder in the bump regiondoes not interfere when dicing the substrate from a wafer including thesubstrate. Once the substrate has been diced, the plated solder can beheated above its melting temperature so that solder flows from thereservoirs and branches thereof (1209 a, 1209 b, 1209 b′, and 1209 b″)to the bump 1201. Accordingly, the solder bump 1201 can expand laterallybeyond the edge of the substrate 1203 for bonding with substrate 1207.

FIGS. 13A–C are plan views illustrating steps of forming solderstructures according to embodiments of the present invention. As shownin FIG. 13A, a plurality of microelectronic die 1301 a–i (also referredto as substrates) may be formed on a semiconductor wafer 1303, and themicroelectronic die 1301 a–i may be separated by streets 1305. Each ofthe die 1301 a–i, for example, may be an integrated circuit deviceincluding a plurality of electronic devices such as transistors, diodes,resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc. Moreover, a plurality of solderbumps 1307 may be formed on respective solder wettable pads (not shown)on the microelectronic die 1301 a–i.

For example, a continuous seed layer may be formed across the wafer1303, and the seed layer may be used as a plating electrode toselectively electroplate the solder bumps 1307 through a plating mask ortemplate. The plating mask or template and portions of the seed layernot covered by the solder bumps may then be removed. Portions of theseed layer remaining between respective solder bumps 1307 and die 1301a–i may make up the solder wettable pads. For example, the seed layerand the resulting solder wettable pads may include an adhesion layer(such as a layer of titanium, tungsten, chrome, and/or combinationsthereof) and a conduction layer (such as a layer of copper). Each of thesolder wettable pads may also include a conductive barrier layer (suchas a layer of nickel, platinum, palladium, and/or combinations thereof)which may be provided as a portion of a continuous seed layer or whichmay be electroplated prior to electroplating the solder bumps.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the solder-bumps 1307 are maintained within edgesof the respective die 1301 a–i before separating the individual die fromthe wafer, and the die may be separated from the wafer 1303, forexample, by sawing the wafer 1303 along streets 1305. Accordingly, thesolder bumps do not interfere with sawing the wafer 1303, and theseparated die 1301 a of FIG. 13B may be provided with the solder bumps1307 maintained inside edges of the die 1301 a. Typically, a set back inthe range of about 20 microns to about 200 microns may be providedbetween the solder bumps 1307 and the edge of the respective die 1301a–i.

After separating the die 1301 a from the wafer 1303, the solder bumpsmay be heated to a reflow temperature so that the solder bumps 1307′extend laterally toward an edge of the die 1301 a. As shown in FIG. 13C,the solder bumps 1307′ may extend to and/or beyond the edge of the die1301 a. The solder wettable pads may be provided, for example, usingstructures discussed above with respect to FIGS. 2A–I, 3–9, 11, and/or12 to provide that solder bumps 1307′ extends laterally to and/or beyondthe edge of the substrate after reflow. The solder bumps 1307′ can thusprovide interconnection to another substrate (such as another die and/orprinted circuit board) provided along an edge thereof. Connection toanother substrate is discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,793,the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety byreference.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the solder bumps1307 may be set back from a nearest edge of the die 1301 a by at leastabout 20 microns before reflow so that the solder bumps do not interferewith separation of the die 1301 a from the wafer 1303. After reflow, thesolder bumps 1307′ may extend toward the nearest edge of the die 1301 a.More particularly, the solder bumps 1307′ may extend at least to withinabout 10 microns from the edge of the die 1301 a after reflow. Accordingto some embodiments, the solder bumps 1307′ may extend at least towithin about 5 microns of the edge of the die 1301 a after reflow. Asshown in FIGS. 13B and 13C, the solder bumps 1307 may be offset from anedge of the die 1301 a before reflow by at least about 20 microns, andthe solder bumps 1307′ may extend to and/or beyond the edge of the die1301 a after reflow.

As used herein, the term solder wettable pad refers to one or moreconductive layers provided between a solder bump and a substrate. Asolder wettable pad may include an adhesion layer (such as a layer oftitanium, tungsten, chrome, and/or combinations thereof), a conductionlayer (such as a layer of copper), and/or a barrier layer (such as alayer of nickel, platinum, palladium, and/or combinations thereof). Asolder bump may be a bump of one or more different solder materials. Forexample, a solder bump may include one or more of a single element,binary, ternary, and/or higher order solder; such as a lead-tin solder,a lead-bismuth solder, a lead-indium solder, a lead free solder, atin-silver solder, a tin-silver-copper solder, an indium-tin solder, anindium-gallium solder, a gallium solder, an indium-bismuth solder, atin-bismuth solder, an indium-cadmium solder, bismuth-cadmium solder,tin-cadmium, etc. Accordingly, a solder wettable pad may provide asurface that is wettable to a solder bump wherein the solder wettablesurface of the solder wettable pad and the solder bump comprisedifferent materials.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A method of forming a solder structure, the method comprising:providing a wafer including a plurality of die therein; forming a solderwettable pad on at least one of the die adjacent an edge of the die, thesolder wettable pad having a length parallel to the edge of the die anda width perpendicular to the edge of the die wherein the length parallelto the edge of the die is greater than the width perpendicular to theedge of the die; forming a solder bump on the solder wettable pad; afterforming the solder bump on the solder wettable pad, separating the diefrom the wafer along the edge of the die; and after separating the diefrom the wafer, reflowing the solder bump on the solder wettable pad sothat the solder bump extends laterally from the solder wettable padtoward the edge of the die.
 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein thesolder structure extends laterally from the solder wettable pad beyondthe edge of the die.
 3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the solderstructure extends laterally from the solder wettable pad to the edge ofthe die.
 4. A method according to claim 1 wherein forming the solderbump comprises at least one of plating solder, evaporating solder,jetting solder, and/or applying solder paste.
 5. A method according toclaim 1 wherein before reflowing the solder bump, the solder bump is setback from the edge of the die by at least about 20 microns, and whereinafter reflowing the solder bump, the solder bump extends at least towithin about 10 microns of the edge of the die.
 6. A method according toclaim 1 further comprising: after reflowing the solder bump, bonding thesolder bump with a substrate adjacent the edge of the die.
 7. A methodaccording to claim 6 wherein the die and the substrate are non-parallel.8. A method according to claim 6 wherein the die and the substrate aresubstantially orthogonal.
 9. A method according to claim 1 furthercomprising: forming at least one solder wettable reservoir connected tothe solder wettable pad, the solder wettable reservoir having a width ata connection with the solder wettable pad that is less than the width ofthe solder wettable pad; wherein forming the solder bump furthercomprises forming solder on the at least one solder wettable reservoir.10. A method according to claim 9 wherein reflowing the solder bumpincludes causing solder to flow from the solder wettable reservoir tothe solder wettable pad.
 11. A method according to claim 9 wherein thewidth of the solder wettable pad is at least 10% greater that a greatestwidth of the solder wettable reservoir.
 12. A method according to claim9 wherein an angle of a junction between the solder wettable pad and thesolder wettable reservoir comprises an acute angle.
 13. A methodaccording to claim 9 wherein the solder wettable reservoir includes aflared narrowing therein.
 14. A method according to claim 9 wherein thesolder wettable reservoir includes a two branches that join at ajunction with the junction being between the two branches and theconnection with the solder wettable pad, wherein each branch narrows byat least 20% at the junction therebetween.
 15. A method according toclaim 9 wherein the solder wettable reservoir includes a bight thereinwherein the bight includes an opening at least 2.5 times a radius ofcurvature of the bight.
 16. A method according to claim 1 furthercomprising: forming first and second solder wettable reservoirsconnected to opposing ends of the solder wettable pad.
 17. A methodaccording to claim 16 wherein the connections of the solder wettablereservoirs to the solder wettable pad are separated by the length of thesolder wettable pad parallel to the edge of the substrate.
 18. A methodaccording to claim 16 wherein portions of the first and second solderwettable reservoirs connected to the solder wettable pad have respectivewidths that are less than the width of the solder wettable pad.
 19. Amethod according to claim 1 wherein the die comprises a microelectronicdie.
 20. A method according to claim 1 wherein the solder wettable padand the solder bump comprise different materials.
 21. A method accordingto claim 1 wherein the solder wettable pad has an oval shape.
 22. Amethod according to claim 1 wherein the solder wettable pad has a flatside adjacent the edge of the die.
 23. A method of forming a solderstructure, the method comprising: forming a solder wettable pad on asubstrate adjacent an edge of the substrate, the solder wettable padhaving a length parallel to the edge of the substrate and a widthperpendicular to the edge of the substrate wherein the length parallelto the edge of the substrate is greater than the width perpendicular tothe edge of the substrate; and forming a solder bump on the solderwettable pad wherein the solder bump extends laterally from the solderwettable pad at least to within about 10 microns of the edge of thesubstrate.
 24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the solder bumpextends laterally from the solder wettable pad to the edge of thesubstrate.
 25. A method according to claim 23 wherein the solder bumpextends laterally from the solder wettable pad beyond the edge of thesubstrate.
 26. A method according to claim 23 further comprising:forming at least one solder wettable reservoir connected to the solderwettable pad, the solder wettable reservoir having a width at aconnection with the solder wettable pad that is less than the width ofthe solder wettable pad.
 27. A method according to claim 23 furthercomprising: forming first and second solder wettable reservoirsconnected to opposing ends of the solder wettable pad.
 28. A methodaccording to claim 27 wherein the connections of the solder wettablereservoirs to the solder wettable pad are separated by the length of thesolder wettable pad parallel to the edge of the substrate.
 29. A methodaccording to claim 27 wherein portions of the first and second solderwettable reservoirs connected to the solder wettable pad have respectivewidths that are less than the width of the solder wettable pad.
 30. Amethod according to claim 23 further comprising: bonding the solder bumpto a second substrate adjacent the edge of the first electronicsubstrate, wherein the first and second substrates are not parallel. 31.A method according to claim 30 wherein the first and second substratesare substantially orthogonal with respect to each other.
 32. A methodaccording to claim 23 wherein the substrate comprises a microelectronicdie.
 33. A method according to claim 23 wherein the solder wettable padand the solder bump comprise different materials.
 34. A method accordingto claim 23 wherein the solder wettable pad is set back from the edge ofthe substrate by at least about 20 microns.
 35. A method of forming asolder structure, the method comprising: forming a solder wettable padon a substrate adjacent an edge of the substrate, wherein the solderwettable pad has a pad surface opposite the substrate and pad sidewallsbetween the pad surface and the substrate; and forming a solder bump onthe solder wettable pad wherein the solder bump extends on portions ofthe pad sidewalls adjacent the edge of the substrate and whereinportions of the pad sidewalls opposite the edge of the substrate arefree of the solder bump.
 36. A method according to claim 35 whereinportions of the solder bump extend laterally to the edge of thesubstrate.
 37. A method according to claim 36 wherein portions of thesolder bump extend laterally beyond the edge of the substrate.
 38. Amethod according to claim 35 wherein portions of the solder bump extendlaterally at least to within about 10 microns of the edge of thesubstrate.
 39. A method according to claim 35 further comprising:forming a solder non-wettable material on portions of the pad sidewallsopposite the edge of the substrate.
 40. A method according to claim 39wherein the solder non-wettable material comprises an oxide.
 41. Amethod of forming a solder structure, the method comprising: providing awafer including a plurality of die therein; forming a solder wettablepad on at least one of the die adjacent an edge of the die, wherein thesolder wettable pad has a pad surface opposite the substrate and padsidewalls between the pad surface and the substrate; forming a solderbump on the solder wettable pad; after forming the solder bump on thesolder wettable pad, separating the die from the wafer along the edge ofthe die; and after separating the die from the wafer, reflowing thesolder bump on the solder wettable pad so that the solder bump extendson portions of the pad sidewalls adjacent the edge of the die and sothat portions of the pad sidewalls opposite the edge of the die are freeof the solder bump.
 42. A method according to claim 41 wherein thesolder bump is maintained within the edge of the die before reflowingthe solder bump and wherein portions of the solder bump extend laterallybeyond the edge of the substrate after reflowing the solder bump.
 43. Amethod according to claim 41 wherein the solder bump is maintainedwithin the edge of the die before reflowing the solder bump and whereinportions of the solder bump extend laterally to the edge of thesubstrate after reflowing the solder bump.
 44. A method according toclaim 41 wherein before reflowing the solder bump, the solder bump isset back from the edge of the die by at least about 20 microns, andwherein after reflowing the solder bump, the solder bump extends atleast to within about 10 microns of the edge of the die.
 45. A methodaccording to claim 41 wherein the solder bump is maintained within theedge of the die before reflowing the solder bump and wherein portions ofthe solder bump extend laterally to the edge of the substrate afterreflowing the solder bump.
 46. A method according to claim 41 furthercomprising: before reflowing the solder bump, forming a soldernon-wettable material on portions of the pad sidewalls opposite the edgeof the substrate.
 47. A method according to claim 46 wherein the soldernon-wettable material comprises an oxide.
 48. A method of forming Asolder structure, the method comprising: providing a wafer including aplurality of die therein; forming a solder wettable pad on at least oneof the die adjacent an edge of the die, the solder wettable pad having alength parallel to the edge of the die and a width perpendicular to theedge of the die wherein the length parallel to the edge of the die isgreater than the width perpendicular to the edge of the die; plating asolder structure on the solder wettable pad; after plating the solderstructure on the solder wettable pad, separating the die from the waferalong the edge of the die; and after separating the die from the wafer,reflowing the solder structure on the solder wettable pad so that thesolder structure extends laterally from the solder wettable pad beyondthe edge of the die.
 49. A method according to claim 48 furthercomprising: after reflowing the solder structure, bonding the solderstructure with a substrate adjacent the edge of the die.